Automatic steering device for traction-engines.



No. 821,253. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

E. F. PIPER. AUTOMATIC STEERING DEVICE FOR TRACTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29,1905.

52/ I 1 I I Ilka/Ma! JLP%1//. B 7 4 flaw/02%; ai 9W r i mon h i n EDMUND F. Pll l-EL, @F FARGU, llQRTlll DAKOTA.

Specification of Letters Patent. ir'aten'ted 22, 1906.

Application filed April 29, 1905, Serial No. 258,008.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, EDMUND l PIPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fargo, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Automatic Steering Devices for TractiomEngines; and ldo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention. relates to traction-engines, and especially to traction-engines connected up to draw gan -plows, and has for its object to provide an automatic steering device there for which will cause the engine and the plows to follow the furrow previously out.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claim.

in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout both the views Figure l is a plan view showing a tractionengine and a gang-plow in diagram, some parts eing broken away, and she" ing my improved teering device applied to front axle of the said engine; and 2 is a view in elevation illustrating the position of the steeringwheel with respect to the furrow, the ground being sectioned on the line of a of Fig. 1 an the Wheel-supporting device being broken away.

Of the parts of the traction-engine it is only, desirable to note the body 1, the rear traction-wheels 2,; the pivoted front axle 3, and the front Wheels i, mounted on said. axle. As is well known, the traction-engine is steered by oscillating'inovernents of its pivot'ed front axle, such'oscillating movements being controlled through chains 5 and other steering mechanism (not shown) arranged to be operated by hand. For the purposes of my invention the usual hand-operated steering mechanism need not be considered.

The gang-plow is only shown inn-art, and of the parts shown it is only necessary to note the frame 6, the plows 7 and one of the sup portingwheels 8. The plow-frame his connected to the body of traction-enginc hy suitable coupling devices, (indicated diagrammatically at 9.)

in applying my improved ing device'l preferably 'nro v frame or truss-arm 10, that orojec of the engine, and the prongs of who,

rear ends are pivoted for vertical. movement to coupling-braclets ll, rigidly secured to the axle 3, one on each side of the bodyl. 9n the free forwardly-projected end, of the fran1e10is a sleeve-like bearing 12, inwhichis rigidly but adjustably' secured a spindle 13. To that end of the spindle 13 which pro.- jects over the furrow is loosely journaled steering-wheel l l, preferably formed without spokes or openings. As shown, set-screws work through the sleeve 12 and impinge on the spindle 13 to rigidly hold the same in its set position with respect to the frame 10. The spindle 13 is so set that the wheel 1% stands at an inclined plane, inclining at its top outward from the edge of'the furrow and converging inward at its edge toward the furrow; otherwise stated, the axis of said stceri --wheel extends downward and forward with respect to said pivoted axle in a clrection toward the furrow side of the machi The steering-wheel 14 when time set will, under the forward movement of the en- 'gine, tend to closely hug and run against the vertical edge Z of the furrow, and hence will follow the furrow Whether the same be straight, curved, or irregular. Said steering- Wh el will therefore cause the engine and the plows to follow a course parallel with the furrow'previously cut. The distance which the plow adjacent to the furrow-Will be caused to travel from the furrow previously cut will depend on the distance of the steering-wheel. l i from the bear ng 12, and this distance, as already stated, may be varied by longitudinal adjustments of the spindle or shaft 13 from the said hearing. frame 10, being free for vertical movements, the steeringwvheel 14. will freely run over any irregularities in the ground Without interfering with the steering-axle.

The efiiciency of the device described has been demonstrated in actual practice.

From What has been said it will be understood that the device described is capable of a large range of modification Within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed. in fact, I believe I am the first to provide an automatic steering device for a traction-engine or other vehicle capable osing steered on the general plan or in the manner described I T he device is of small cost and is capable of being applied to any tractioirengine.

The automatic steering attachment may out of action simply by raising the As is evident, the steeringframe 10, so as to carry the steering-wheel out of contact with the 'ground. *An suitable means (not shown) ma raising the said flrame an 5 same in an elevated osition.

What I claim, and

ters Patent of the United Sta The combination with a be provi ed for for holding the desire to secureby Lettes,vis as follows:

vehicle having a pivoted axle, of an automatic steering device i0 therefor, comprising nected to said pivoted axle,

a steering-frame conand a steering ALICE R. BLAIR,- V. R. LOVELL. 

